(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a playback mechanism of a recording medium, which reads out information from a recording medium such as a compact disc.
(2) Description of the Related Art
A compact disc (hereinafter, CD) is an example of a recording medium. A CD player as a playback mechanism of a recording medium is mounted on an instrument panel of a motor vehicle as a mobile unit. The CD player reads out the information recorded in the CD.
The CD player is provided with an instrument body to be mounted on the instrument panel, an opening for inserting the recording medium opened to the instrument body, a conveying unit, clamp playback mechanism, locking member, and so on. The instrument body is formed in a box-shape, in which a plurality of metal plates are assembled to each other. The CD is inserted through the opening for inserting the recording medium.
The conveying unit conveys the CD inserted through the opening for inserting the recording medium up to the clamp playback mechanism or conveys the CD from the clamp playback mechanism to the opening for inserting the recording medium, thereby taking the CD out from the inside of the instrument body. The conveying unit is provided with a pair of first nipping members formed separable from each other.
One member of the pair of the first nipping members has a conveying roller rotatively driven by a drive source such as a motor. The conveying roller is rotatively driven by a drive source such as a motor, thereby conveying the CD. The another member of the pair of the first nipping members has a sliding member having a small friction coefficient. The sliding member nips the CD between the sliding member and the conveying roller so as to guide the CD in the conveying direction. The conveying unit nips the CD between the pair of the first nipping members and conveys the CD.
The clamp playback mechanism has a pair of second nipping members formed separable from each other. One member of the pair of the second nipping members has a rotary table rotatively driven by a drive source such as a motor and an optical pickup for reading out the information recorded in the CD. The rotary table rotates the CD after the CD is set on the rotary table by using a central hole to position the CD.
The another member of the pair of the second nipping members is provided with a disc-shaped clamper at a position where the another member meets the rotary table. The clamper is formed rotatably relatively to the another member. When the pair of the second nipping members approaches each other, they nip the CD between the rotary table and the clamper. The clamp playback mechanism clamps the CD by nipping the CD between the pair of the second nipping members. Thereafter, the optical pickup of the clamp playback mechanism reads out the information recorded in the CD.
The clamp playback mechanism is movably supported relatively to the instrument body by a coil spring or rubber. Since the playback mechanism of a recording medium is mounted on the motor vehicle and the like, the instrument body oscillates due to the oscillation of the vehicle during traveling. Then, the clamp playback mechanism moves relatively to the instrument body by the coil spring or rubber. Thus, the influence of the oscillation is reduced when the clamp playback mechanism reads out the information recorded in the CD.
The locking member is rotatably provided in the instrument body or the like. The locking member moves in the range between a locking position where a part of the clamp playback mechanism is locked and a lock-releasing position where the locking is released. At the position where the locking member locks the part of the clamp playback mechanism, the clamp playback mechanism is fixed relatively to the instrument body. At the lock-releasing position, the clamp playback mechanism becomes free relatively to the instrument body.
In the playback mechanism of a recording medium as mentioned above, when the CD is inserted from the opening for inserting the recording medium, the playback mechanism nips the CD between the pair of the first nipping members and conveys the CD toward the pair of the second nipping members of the clamp playback mechanism. At this time, the second nipping members part from each other. When the CD is situated between the pair of the second nipping members, the second nipping members approach to each other while the first nipping members part from each other. Then, the CD is clamped to the clamp playback mechanism. At this time, the locking member is situated at the locking position and the clamp playback mechanism is fixed relatively to the instrument body.
Then, the pair of the first nipping members parts from each other. When the clamp playback mechanism moves relatively to the instrument body, the CD clamped to the clamp playback mechanism is prevented from coming into contact with the pair of the first nipping members. Thus, the pair of the first nipping members parts from each other, thereby securing a range within which the CD can move when the clamp playback mechanism moves relatively to the instrument body.
After the pair of the first nipping members sufficiently part from each other, the locking member moves from the locking position to the lock-releasing position. When the locking member is situated at the lock-releasing position, the rotary table rotates and the information recorded in the CD can be read out through the optical pickup. The information taken out through the optical pickup is output as a voice through a speaker and the like equipped in the motor vehicle.
In the playback mechanism of a recording medium, when the CD is taken out from the instrument body, first the rotation of the rotary table is halted. Then, the locking member is moved from the lock-releasing position to the locking position, thereby the clamp playback mechanism is fixed relatively to the instrument body. Thereafter, the pair of the second nipping members parts from each other while the pair of the first nipping members approach to each other. With nipping the CD between the pair of the first nipping members, the conveying unit conveys the CD to the opening for inserting the recording medium. The CD is taken out from the instrument body through the opening.
As is mentioned above, in a conventional playback mechanism of a recording medium, in order to prevent a problem from taking place, the problem being that the clamp playback mechanism or the CD comes into contact with the pair of the first nipping members of the conveying unit due to the oscillation of the motor vehicle during traveling, a clearance between the pair of the first nipping members and the clamp playback mechanism has been sufficiently secured and thereafter the lock by the locking member has been released.
Accordingly, since the lock by the locking member is released after the pair of the first nipping members sufficiently parts from each other, therefore it takes a long period of time to start the playback of the recording medium after the recording medium such as the CD is inserted in the instrument body. In such a case, a long period of time elapses until the information recorded in the recording medium is output as a voice after the recording medium is inserted in the instrument body, thereby giving a passenger in the motor vehicle an unpleasant feeling. Further, in order to release the lock of the locking member after the clearance between the pair of the first nipping members and the clamp playback mechanism is sufficiently secured, a mechanism for securing the clearance and that for releasing the lock should be separately provided, resulting in that the number of parts increases and the playback mechanism itself becomes large in size.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to solve the above problem and to provide a playback mechanism of a recording medium, by which a period of time required until the information recorded in the recording medium is read out after the recording medium is inserted in the instrument body can be shortened and the size of the playback mechanism can be reduced.
In order to attain the above objective, the present invention is to provide a playback mechanism of a recording medium comprising:
a pair of nipping devices for nipping the recording medium and conveying the recording medium into an instrument body;
a clamp playback device for clamping the recording medium conveyed into the instrument body and reading out information recorded in the recording medium;
a locking device for locking the clamp playback device relatively to be instrument body, the locking device being movable within a range between a locking position where the clamp playback device is fixed relatively to the instrument body and a lock-releasing position where the clamp playback device is movable relatively to the instrument body; and
a cooperation device for gradually parting each of the pair of the nipping devices from the recording medium when the clamp playback device clamps the recording medium conveyed by the pair of the nipping devices, and for gradually shifting the locking device from the locking position to the lock-releasing position so that the clamp playback device becomes movable relatively to the instrument body in response to a movable range of the recording medium, the movable range being formed due to that each of the pair of the nipping devices gradually parts from the recording medium.
With the construction described above, the locking device gradually moves from the locking position to the lock-releasing position while each of the pair of the nipping devices parts from the recording medium. Therefore, a period of time required until the information recorded in the recording medium is read out after the recording medium is inserted in the instrument body can be shortened.
Further, the locking device moves from the locking position to the lock-releasing position in response to a movable range of the recording medium, which is formed due to that each of the pair of the nipping devices gradually parts from the recording medium. That is, the cooperation device gradually parts each of the pair of the nipping devices from the recording-medium so as to prevent the recording medium from coming into contact with the pair of the nipping-devices and causes the locking device to gradually move from the locking position to the lock-releasing position.
Accordingly, even if the clamp playback device oscillates relatively to the instrument body by an oscillation and the like while the locking device moves from the locking position to the lock-releasing position, the recording medium clamped by the clamp playback device does not come into contact with the pair of the nipping devices. Further, since the cooperation device successively causes two actions, that is, to part each of the pair of the nipping devices from the recording medium and to shift the locking device to the lock-releasing position, therefore the playback mechanism itself can be miniaturized.
Preferably, the locking device comprises:
a locking pin provided at the clamp playback device; and
a locking member provided in the instrument body for locking the locking pin,
the cooperation device comprises:
a sliding member slidably provided in the instrument body;
a first projecting pin provided at each of the pair of the nipping devices; and
a second projecting pin provided at the locking member, and the sliding member comprises:
a guiding hole for receiving the first projecting pin of one nipping device out of the pair of the nipping devices;
a guiding inclined surface coming into contact with the first projecting pin of an opposite nipping device out of the pair of the nipping devices; and
a locking-guide groove for receiving the second projecting pin, wherein when the sliding member slidably moves relatively to the instrument body, each of the first projecting pins moves along the guiding hole and the guiding inclined surface, each of the pair of the nipping devices gradually parts from the recording medium, and the second projecting pin moves along the locking-guide groove in response to the movement of the first projecting pins, thereby the locking of the locking pin by the locking member is gradually released.
With the construction described above, when the sliding member slides, each of the pair of the first projecting pins is moved along the guiding hole and the guiding inclined surface, so that each of the pair of the nipping devices of the conveying device gradually parts from the recording medium. Further, in response to the movement of the first projecting pin, the second projecting pin moves along the locking-guide groove, so that the locking by the locking member is gradually released. Therefore, a period of time required until the information recorded in the recording medium is read out after the recording medium is inserted in the instrument body can be shortened. Further, since the cooperation device successively causes two actions, that is, to part each of the pair of the nipping devices from the recording medium by sliding the sliding member and to shift the locking device to the lock-releasing position, therefore the playback mechanism itself can be miniaturized.
Preferably, the locking device further comprises a locking concave groove provided at the sliding member for receiving the locking pin, and the cooperation device further comprises a third projecting pin provided at the clamp playback device,
the sliding member further comprises a guiding groove for receiving the third projecting pin, and the guiding groove has a first expanding part, an area of which gradually expands in the sliding direction of the sliding member, while the locking concave groove has a second expanding part, an area of which gradually expands in the sliding direction of the sliding member,
as the sliding member slidably moves relatively to the instrument body and the locking of the locking pin by the locking member is gradually released, a movable range of the locking pin within an area defined by the second expanding part and the locking member is gradually expanded while a movable range of the third projecting pin within an area of the first expanding part is gradually expanded, thereby a movable range of the clamp playback device relative to the instrument body is gradually expanded.
With the construction described above, as the sliding member slidably moves and the locking of the locking pin by the locking member is gradually released, a movable range of the locking pin is gradually expanded. Further, the movable range of the third projecting pin gradually expanded. Therefore, since the movable range of the clamp playback device is gradually expanded as each of the pair of the nipping devices parts from the recording medium, a period of time required until the information recorded in the recording medium is read out after the recording medium is inserted in the instrument body can be shortened.
Preferably, at the lock-releasing position, the third projecting pin and the locking pin come out from the first expanding part of the guiding groove and the second expanding part of the locking concave groove, respectively, and the locking of the locking pin by the locking member is completely released.
With the construction described above, at the lock-releasing position, the third projecting pin securely comes out from the guiding groove. Further, the locking pin comes out from the locking concave groove and the locking of the locking pin by the locking member is released. Therefore, the clamp playback device can be securely movable relative to the instrument body at the lock-releasing position.
Preferably, the locking member includes a hook for locking the locking pin and the hook extends in a direction intersecting the sliding direction of the sliding member at the locking position.
With the construction described above, the locking concave groove, into which the locking pin enters, extends in the sliding direction of the sliding member at the locking position. Further, the hook of the locking member, which locks the locking pin, extends in a direction intersecting the sliding direction of the sliding member at the locking position.
Consequently, at the locking position, the locking pin is prevented from shifting in a direction intersecting the sliding direction of the sliding member by the locking concave groove and prevented from shifting in the sliding direction of the sliding member by the hook. Therefore, the clamp playback device is securely fixed to the instrument body at the locking position.
Preferably, the locking-guide groove includes a slide extending part extending in the sliding direction of the sliding member and an intersection extending part extending in the direction intersecting the sliding direction of the sliding member,
the second projecting pin is situated at the slide extending part while the pair of the nipping devices conveys the recording medium and situated at an intersection where the slide extending part and the intersection extending part intersect each other when the clamp playback device clamps the recording medium, and
the locking device shifts from the locking position to the lock-releasing position passing through the inside of the intersection extending part when each of the pair of the nipping devices gradually parts from the recording medium.
With the construction described above, while the recording medium is conveyed, the second projecting pin projecting from the locking member is situated within the slide extending part of the locking-guide groove along the sliding direction of the sliding member. Therefore, the locking member maintains a state that the hook locks the locking pin while the conveying device conveys the recording medium.
When the sliding member slides, the second projecting pin is situated at an intersection where the slide extending part and the intersection extending part, which extends in a direction intersecting the slide extending part, intersect each other. Further, when each of the pair of the nipping devices gradually parts from the recording medium, the second projecting pin passes through the intersection extending part. Consequently, when the sliding member slides and each of the pair of the nipping devices gradually parts from the recording medium, the locking member securely rotates in such a direction that the locking of the locking pin by the hook is released.